Process of refining, fractionating, and reducing oils.



W. C. & F. E. WELLS.

PROCESS OF REFINING,FRACTIONATING,AND REDUCING OILS.

- APPLICATION EILU). DUI-2,1913- RENEWED 'IULY 8,1912% 4 Patented Mar. 4.1919. I

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W. C. & F. E. WELLS.

PROCESS OF REFINING, FRACTIONATING,AND REDUCING OILS.

APPLICATION FILED DECJ, 1913- RENEWED JULY 8. "H8. 1,296,244.

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Patented Mar. 4, 1919.

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' vapors at the desired low temperatures,

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Application filed. December 2, 1913,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIE WELLS, citizens ,States, residing at Columbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Refining, Fractionating, and Reducing Oils, of which the following is a specification. I

The invention relates to a process of evaporating volatile and semi-volatile substances such as petroleum, liquidasphalts, coal tar, and the like materials, especially those that tend to adhere to and coat the heated parts of the receptacle in evaporated, and consists essentially in the use of a fluidmedium bath that will not evaporate at the temperatures to be used, and is heavier than the substance to be evaporated, such as melted lead, or an alloy that rQWnms will be .fiuid at temperatures suitable for the p purpose, through which heat that is imparted thereto is in turn imparted to the substance to be evaporated; and in the useof a permanent gas which, passing through the heated bath conveysheat imparted thereto to the material being evaporated; the heated permanent gas, seeking to saturate itself with vapors, evolves the volatile portions of the material to be acted upon i3 an conveys said vapors to a condenser where it deposits its load, and repeats the performance in continuous cycle, as set forth in the United States Patent No. 877,620, but is carried on "in a manner difierent therefrom, as pointed out hereinafter.

Appropriate apparatus for performing the process is shown in the accompanying drawings which are hereby made a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a vertical, longitudinal section through the entire apparatus; Fig 2 is tion through Fig. 1 along the line A-A, and Fig. 3 is a perspective of one of the tubes showing the perforations therein through which the gas is admitted into the oil vessel for use in the process. Referring to the drawings 1 is a retort or still having intake 2 and the discharge outlet 3 In the bottom of the vessel is placed a non-evaporable fluid bath, preferably a metallic alloy of required melting point, filling the retort to about the dotted line 4, and the material to be operated upon, being admitted through pipe 2 rests upon the surface of the Specification of letters Patent.

Serial No. 804,201. Renewed July 8,

filled to approximately the of the United series of 'flues 6 is which they are being through the pip a vertical cross-secvalve 2 is then closed.

FRACTIONATING', AND REDUCING OILSa 1918. Serial No. 248,947.

bath, which is of greater specific gravity than the said material, and the vessel 1 is level indicated by the dotted line .5. A arranged in the lower portion of the vessel 1 surrounded by the bath. The furnace is shown conventionally at 7, the stack at 8, and the wall supporting the retort or still at 9 and 10. By reference to 'Fig. 2 it will be noted that the heat from the furnace 7 plays directly upon the lower part of the retort or still 1, but cannot come into contact with the walls thereof above the surface 4 of the bath. Heat is therefore applied to the bath directly and through the fines 6, and by means of the permanent gas which takes up the heat from the bottom of the bath and conveys' it through the bath and into, the materialto be evaporated, thereby raising its temperature to th rocess the permanent gas used is stored in the tank 11 connecting throughpipe 12 with the pipe 13 containing the valves 14 and 15. Pipe 13 also communicates through pipe16 with the pump 17 which is in connection e 18 with the retort or still. Branches 18 18", 18 from pipe 18 are introduced into the retort or still near the bottom thereof as a pears especially in Fig. 2, and contain in t eir lower ortions the perforations 19 shown especia ly in Fig. 3 through which the gas may issue and rise through the bath into the body ofthe heated material. 20 is a dome communicating with the interior of the retort or still 1 from which dome the conduit 21 leads into the condenser 22 and communicates therein with the coil 23 issuing therefrom at and communicating with the box 25. Box 25 communicates through the trap 26 with the receiver 27 of the condensate, Box 25 also communicates through pipe 28 with pipe 13 between the valves 14 and 15, The condenser '22 is supplied with water at the intake 29, and contains the Water discharge 30 at its upper end. 7

The operation is as follows: The bath be ing provided in the bottom of the retort or still, the material to be evaporated is thenintroduced through the pipe,2 and the Heat is produced in. the furnace 7, and the temperature of the loath is thereby raised to whatever degree may be desired, and consequently the temperature of the material to be evaporated is increased as desired. The valve degree desired, In thethe lower end at 24:,

Patented. Mar, 4, 19190 I retort or still and in pipe 28, valve and forced into pipe 18 and its branches, and

out through the perforations 19 into the bath, where it is heated and rises through the bath into and through the material to.

be evaporated, and all air found in the the system of pipes is thereby expelled outwardly through the dome 20, pipe 21, coil 23, pipe 24, box 25, pipe 13 to the outer air. When complete expulsion of the air is had valve 15 is closed and valve 14 is opened, thereby establishing return communication between the retort or still and the pump.

By the action of the heat applied to the material as described, and the absorptive properties of the heated permanent gas,

vapors are produced and.conveyed thereby into dome 20 through conduit2l into coil 23 in the condenser 22, and the condensate thus resulting passesthrough box 25 into the trap 26, and therefrom is collected into the receiver 27. The permanent gas passes out from the box 25 through the pipe 28 into the pipe 13, and through valve 14 into the pipe 16 and through the pump, and again back through the pipe 18 and its b'ranches, and through the-bath and into the material being evaporated for further service. A continuous cycle is thus provided for the permanent gas, and as the process ofevaporization goes on the heat may be varied as desired through the medium of the bath. It is ,not essential that the permanent gas be heated solely by its contact with the bath, as it is clear that it may be raised to any desired temperature before it is supplied to the retort or still.

All residues from the desired fractions removed will rest upon the surface of the heated bath medium, and may be drawn oif mains on top through pipe 3 as desired. As nothing can attach itself to" the fluid bath, and'all-o'f the residue of the material acted upon reof .the bath, there is therefore no burning fast to any portion of the apparatus in the entire process.

Weclaim:,

1. The residues, liquid asphalts, coal tar, and like materials, consisting in providing a heated non-evaporable fluid bath upon which said process of evaporating pet'roleum' materials are superposed and are thereby heated, passing a permanent gas into and through said' bath and thence through said materials, whereby the vapors evolved therefrom are conveyed to a condenser.

2. The process of evaporating petroleum residues, liquid asphalts, coal tar, and like materials, consisting in providing a heated non-evaporable fluid bath upon which said materials are superposed and are thereby heated, passing a permanent gas into and through heated, thence materials, whereby the vapors evolved therefrom are conveyed to a condenser.

3. The process of evaporating crude petroleum to a desirable 'dry residue consisting in providing a heated non-evaporable flu d bath upon which said petroleum is superposed and thereby prevented from burning to the heated portion of the consaid bath whereby said gas is' passing said gas throughsaid 

